Tag Archive for: 1 Peter 4:8

Smoke in the Kitchen

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1 Peter 4:8 — Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 

Are you a pumpkin spice and everything nice kind of person?

I’ll admit it.

I am.

But it’s not the lattes for me.

When it comes to pumpkin, I’m more like the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin cookies.

Pumpkin muffins.

If there’s a recipe that pumpkin can go in, I’m liable to try it.

So when I invited some friends over, I decided I was going to make one of my famous pumpkin pies.

And y’all, I had the whole thing planned.

Good food.

Good company.

A beautiful pie coming out of the oven.

Except there was one little problem.

I forgot about the pie.

We got to talking, laughing, and catching up on life, and before long, I started to smell…

Burnt crust.

That pie had gone from pumpkin spice to charcoal.

I was so embarrassed.

But do you know what?

My friends didn’t care.

They laughed about it and told me that none of them needed a perfect pie.

They came because they wanted to spend time with me.

And that put me in tears.

Because I put so much pressure on myself to say the right thing, serve the right food, and make all the right impressions.

Meanwhile, the people I love were just grateful to be standing in my kitchen…

Smoke and all.

And maybe that’s what good friends do.

They don’t make your mistakes bigger than they are.

They don’t let one failure overshadow the whole evening.

They give you grace.

They just love you.

And that makes me think about 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

That kind of love doesn’t mean pretending mistakes don’t matter.

It means we don’t keep score.

We don’t hold every failure over someone’s head.

We make room for grace.

And I think we all need a little more love like that this fall.

Maybe we could give ourselves—and each other—a little more room for imperfect moments.

So burn the pie.

Say the wrong thing.

Forget something important.

Get pumpkin everywhere, if you will.

And then…

love people well.

Because when love is around the table, there’s room for grace, too.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where do you put pressure on yourself to be perfect instead of simply being present with the people you love?
  • Who is someone who has given you grace when you messed up? What did their response mean to you?
  • Is there someone whose mistakes you may be holding onto a little too tightly? What would it look like to give them more grace?
  • What would change in your relationships if you stopped keeping score of every offense and chose to love people more earnestly?
  • Where do you need to receive grace for yourself instead of continuing to punish yourself for something that went wrong?

QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY

Where can I choose grace today instead of keeping score?

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Covered with Kindness

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“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8

The moment I hit the ground, I knew everyone saw it.

One second, I was running across my elementary schoolyard, the next, my foot slipped, and I crashed into a deep puddle of mud. My clothes were ruined, my hair matted with dirt. The last thing I wanted was to stand up and face the stares.

I felt humiliated.

To get cleaned up, I would have no choice but to walk through the school like this. The thought of it made my face burn.

That is when my friend, without missing a beat, took off her jacket and wrapped it around me. She did not make a big deal out of it or make me feel awkward.

She did not try to fix my mess. She just wanted to help.

And somehow, that changed everything.

The shame did not feel as heavy. The walk did not feel as long. What should have been one of my most embarrassing moments turned into a memory of kindness I have never forgotten.

Her simple act of kindness meant so much, because instead of focusing on the mess I was in, I was able to focus on her support. She gave me the confidence to walk to the office without feeling humiliated, and I’ll always remember how she stepped in without a second thought.

Now, I wonder—What if we did the same? What if, instead of looking away, we leaned in?

People around us are walking through life feeling exposed—not with muddy clothes, but with regrets, shame, and insecurity. They feel exposed and wish someone would step in and offer them dignity instead of judgment.

What if your kindness was the reason someone lifted their head instead of hanging it in shame? Like Jesus, we can meet people in their lowest moments and cover them with grace and love. You may never know. It might just be the very thing that reminds them they are never to broken, too messy, or too far gone.

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